Business Tools and Professional Practices for Artists

Content – From the Archives – Donna Orme

My Art Resources is excited to collaborate with Content Magazine to bring you a new monthly blog post Content – From the Archives. We will be looking back and featuring some of the best artist interviews and stories from past issues of Content Magazine.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?I consider myself an experimental artist and enjoy trying new techniques. I am inspired by my surroundings and am motivated by the task at hand and my involvement with the environment. I am always motivated.

What do you think is more important content/finished product or technique/process?Technique/process.

Who are some people who influence and/or inspire you?Joe Price—my teacher at the College of San Mateo; Alan May, my teacher at the Pacific Art League; the great masters—Paul Klee, Wassily Kandisky, Joan Miró and current artists at galleries who produce abstract works.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?I would be Mildred Pierce, the character played by Kate Winslet in the HBO production of the Mildred Pierce movie. I identify with a mother figure having raised one daughter and two sons.

When do you get your best ideas?My surroundings are an inspiration to creativity whether it be something in the studio, an idea sparked from a meeting of my fellow artists or the solitude of a walk in the neighborhood.

What materials/tools do you use most to create your work?I use acrylic paint, printmaking oil-based inks, BFK Rives paper, Asian papers for collage and a variety of scraping tools.

Are you self-taught or formally educated, how do you think that has influenced or affected your work?Although I attended the local community college and local art venues, I continue to learn by experimentation and personal desire to try new things.

What would your creative work taste like?Cherrios—I do a lot of work that has the shape of a circle.

When you are not creating what do you like to do?I crochet afghans and garments. I like to swim, take walks and enjoy the company of my husband.

How did you learn to access your creative talents and gain the confidence to put it out there for everyone to experience?My first experience with showing my talent to the public was producing and selling Better Homes and Gardens craft kits to customers via a home party-plan venue. I learned to talk in front of a large group and how to promote and sell a product.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative adventures?Social networking is important. Try joining a local organization and get involved.